Here’s what you need to know….
- Finding the time to cook four to five meals a day for the duration of your diet can be a challenge. Purchasing ready-made meals locally can save you considerable time and effort.
- Eating from the same plan week in week out can be repetitive and boring. Eating out can add some variety and flavor back into your diet.
- Knowing where to buy ready made food that fits in with your diet is important for the long-term sustainability of a healthy diet.
Meal Preparation, often referred to as ‘meal prep’, is the process of planning and preparing meals in advance and it is a strategy that is frequently recommended by trainers to help clients lose weight. Meal prepping allows you to standardize portion sizes and eat a high nutrient, calorie controlled diet consistently over a period of weeks, months and even years. The main drawback with meal prep is that it requires you to do a lot of cooking. And whilst it can save you time and money in the long run, not everyone has the time or inclination to prepare four to five meals per day for the duration of their diet. It’s a substantial chore and for those that are struggling to meet their existing work, family and social commitments finding time for an hour of cooking each night simply aren’t feasible. Fortunately, there is an alternative and a number of vendors have opened stores in the City that sell healthy, nutritious food that can be bought and eaten in your lunch break. Not only are these shops great for anyone that’s intimidated by the thought of cooking 25 meals a week, but they’re great way to add ‘brighten up’ to an existing diet that could do with a bit of variety. Based on my own experiences, here are my four favorite places to eat in the City when I’m on a diet;
Simple Health Kitchen
When Bradley Hill, a former fitness model, opened Simple Health Kitchen his concept was simple – to inspire people to eat healthy by changing the misconception of health food as “unappealing’ and ‘tasteless”. To that end, Simple Health Kitchen offers customers and bright and colorful variety of foods which can be mixed and matched to suit your own dietary tastes and requirements. Simply pick a carb, protein and some vegetables or a salad and voila! You have a tasty nutritious meal that substantial enough to see you all the way through to dinner time. My own personal favorite selection from the lunch menu (when I’m too busy to do my meal prep) is Cranberry Turkey Burgers, Cinnamon Sweet Potato Wedges, and Broccoli Salad. An amazingly flavourful twist on a bodybuilding ‘bro’ classic! In addition to lunches, Simple Health Kitchen also offers a great breakfast menu, a variety of smoothies and plenty of protein-packed goodies such as Protein Brownies and Banana Bread. Get yourself down there pronto!
Leon
Inspired by the flavors, variety and natural healthiness of Mediterranean cooking Leon was founded by John Vincent, Henry Dimbleby and chef Allegra McEvedy way back in 2004. Since then, the business has grown substantially with restaurants all over London, a line of merchandise and of course their own cookbooks which include dozens of tasty and healthy recipes. Despite their success, Leon’s mission remains the same – to serve food that both tastes good and does you good, making it easy for people to eat well on the high street. To achieve this objective Leon offers a wide selection of wraps, pots, burgers and salads. My personal favorite offering from Leon is their Moroccan Meatball hot box which comes cooked in tomato sauce with spices and is served with Italian brown rice and fresh slaw. At 778 Kcals it’s not exactly the slimmest option on the menu but it certainly hits the spot! Leon also does great breakfast options and serve plenty of snacks to keep you going throughout the day.
Pod
Founded in 2005 and with over 23 stores across the capital, Pod offers energizing eats packed with flavor and brilliant health benefits. Freshly prepared each day every meal is conveniently packaged, delivered at speed and ready for you to enjoy either at your desk or in the sanctuary of pods shops which offer free wifi and seriously good barista-brewed coffee. Whilst Pod offers a wide variety of lunches, salads, snack and wraps – it’s always their breakfasts that keep me coming back for more. Pod’s Energizer Scrambled Eggs comes with mozzarella, basil, sun-blushed tomato avocado and is served with your choice of toast or protein bread. Perfect pre or post workout for those of you that are up early and train before you get into the office.
Protein Haus
Stocked full with ridiculously lean and diet-friendly food, Protein Haus is go-to for anyone that wants to eat a nutritious, calorie controlled diet. With branches on Cheapside, Moorgate and Canary Wharf Protein Haus is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of the Cities fitness fanatics and caters for all dietary requirements – whether it be low fat, low carb, paleo, vegan or raw. Personally, I’ve tried a number of Protein Haus’ diet-friendly meals and found all of them to be delicious. The only downside is having to pass the protein cake selection on the way to pay for them at the checkout. Let me tell you from experience, don’t even try them once because you’ll never be able to make it to the till without buying one again!
Closing
Not everyone has the time or inclination to prepare all of their food for the day in advance and for many people, it’s simply becomes another item to do on an already long to-do list. Fortunately, some health-conscious entrepreneurs have stepped up to the plate and as you can see, there are plenty of diners that make healthy eating in the City easy. Whilst I recommend preparing the majority of your meals at home, there’s no harm what’s so-ever in grabbing a lunch, snack or breakfast from any of the diners recommends above. In fact, I would go so far as to say, that taking a break from meal prep every now and then and incorporating a degree of flexibility into your diet is of vital importance for both long-term sustainability and results.